


Sees Hjemme

by orphan_account



Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-28
Updated: 2017-06-16
Packaged: 2018-11-05 20:00:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11020533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: AU in which Noora never leaves to go to London, and Isak finds himself in a new shared apartment. And his new roommates? Not who you're expecting.





	1. Who the fuck was that guy?

Summer, 2016

PROLOGUE

Noora finally figured out it was Isak living in the basement after about three weeks. It had involved Noora “going down there to look for the backup toilet paper” when she had found Isak passed out in the futon. Eskild claimed that Noora knew that there was no backup toilet paper, and that she was just snooping. “She’s so nosy! Oh my god!” he had yelled when he told Isak what had happened.

Luckily for Isak, Noora was oddly supportive. Isak figured that Eva may have told Noora about his mom and dad and all that stuff, which would have explained why she didn’t tell Eskild to immediately kick him out. But after nearly the whole summer of living on the floor and not being able to tell his friends where he was staying, Isak was ready to get out of the basement and find a real place to live.

***  
MONDAG  
15.8.17 

Eskild was initially heartbroken, but proved to be a very helpful, if annoying, person when it came to looking for a new apartment to live in.

Eskild and Isak were sitting on the couch in the living room of the kollektiv, bent over Eskild’s laptop. 

“No, Isak. That is so unaffordable. Are you kidding me right now? Your dad would never give you 5000 kroner for rent!” Eskild huffed and scooted the laptop farther from Isak’s reach.

“But it’s close to Nissen!” Isak tried to get the laptop back, but gave up under Eskild’s glare. “Fine,” Isak said, “You find something better then.” He leaned back into the couch and crossed his arms. Isak heard his text noise go off, and dug his phone out of his front pocket.

Dad: Hi Isak. Want to grab lunch sometime this week? I know you start school soon. Let me know. Hugs, Dad.

Isak rolled his eyes and put his phone away. It was the third time his dad had tried to hang out with him in as many weeks. Every time he thought about his dad Isak felt both tired and furious. And when he thought about his mom…

“AH!” Eskild screeched. 

“Oh my god, what?” Isak started and leaned over Eskild’s shoulder to look at the screen.

“Well first of all, it’s 4000 kroner a month. Second, it’s a four minute walk from Nissen. It’s perfect! They say that they want an extrovert, but you can always pretend.” Eskild turned to smile gleefully at Isak.

Isak huffed. “I can be an extrovert! I have friends! I just don’t like you that much,” Isak said, smirking. 

Eskild rolled his eyes at Isak. “Come on. You love me.” Isak grumbled in response. “No, but seriously Isak, you should text them.”

Isak nudged Eskild out of the way, and clicked through the pictures of the apartment on the rental website. It looked nice enough, definitely small, but that was to be expected. Close to school would be good, since he was prone to not sleeping until four or five in the morning and he wouldn’t have to wake up as early to take the bus.

Isak nodded, his eyes still fixed on the screen. “Okay, what’s the name and what’s the number?”

“It’s some guy named Erik, and here’s the number,” Eskild pointed to a box on the page.

***  
TIRSDAG  
16.8.17

“Well, it looks like you’d be a good fit here, especially since you’re still in school and it’s so close to Nissen. And you said your dad would pay your rent?” Erik was a short blond guy in his mid twenties, who despite the nearly glacial temperature in the apartment, was wearing cargo shorts.

Isak nodded. “Yeah.” They were sitting at a table in the kitchen. The apartment had a big living room with a kitchen attached, but the bedrooms were small. Erik, despite the shorts, seemed cool. The place looked very preferable to the basement floor at Eskild and Noora’s, as Isak would be able to have a real bed, and access to the kitchen.

“Well then I think I’m going to go ahead and offer you the room.” Erik got up from his chair and went to the fridge to pull out a beer. 

“I work nights, so you won’t see much of me, and there’s only one other person living in the apartment, living in that room down the hall and to the left.” Erik pointed to the room across the hallway from what would be Isak’s room. “How about I introduce you guys?” 

“Yeah, all right.” Isak suddenly felt nervous. Erik had already offered him a room, but what if the second roommate hated him instantly? 

“I’ll be right back,” Erik said, and disappeared into the hallway.

Isak shifted his weight from foot to foot, wiping his hands on his jeans. 

Moments later, Erik came back with a girl in tow.

“Isak, this is Sonja. Sonja, this is Isak! Our new apartment-mate!

Sonja smiled up at Isak. “Pleasure,” she said, shaking Isak’s hand.

“Nice to meet you.” Isak smiled. She seemed sweet. He felt stupid to have worried.

 

**********

19.8.17  
FREDAG

Erik was desperate to fill the room, so within three days Isak was moved in. Isak didn’t have a ton of stuff, and he wanted to get settled in his new place before school started on Monday.

Jonas and Mahdi had helped him move in. Magnus agreed to help, but called the boys at noon claiming he had forgotten the whole thing was happening.

Jonas, Mahdi, and Isak walked out of Isak’s new apartment, heading to the McDonald’s down the street. They had finished movie Isak’s stuff in, which had included only a chest of drawers and a bedside table from IKEA. Jonas was on the phone with Magnus, coordinating a pregame. Mahdi was telling Isak about some girl going into third year at Bakka who he had met at a party last week, and trying to figure out the chances of her being at Ina’s and Hedda’s.

“Well it’s probably not likely, right? I don’t think Ina and Hedda hang out with Elvebakken people all that much,” Isak said.

“Yeah, but -” Mahdi was interrupted by Jonas who said, “Bro, don’t you have her number?! Just text her, man. Ask her if she’s going! That way you won’t be looking for her all night and be disappointed if she’s not.”  
“Yeah, dude. Seriously,” Isak agreed. He thought this was good advice. Not that he was hugely invested in Mahdi’s love life, or anything. They had only been friends for a couple months. Jonas was continuing to list the pros and cons of being straightforward when Isak heard someone laugh.

It was someone on the sidewalk in front of them, walking the opposite way as the boys. As they got closer, Isak realized it was a guy. About their age, maybe older. Really tall. The boy was on his phone, listening intently to whoever was on the other side, pausing to laugh occasionally. Isak noticed that when he laughed, his eyes crinkled closed completely. While Isak and the boys were walking slowly, the guy ahead was walking fast and getting closer quickly.

Isak continued to stare as the figure got closer to them. He had really light brown hair that might be blonde in a certain light, swept up and out of his face. Isak couldn’t see the color of his eyes, they were too far away. Isak noticed that the boy was also twirling something in his left hand absentmindedly, it almost looked like a grinder, or maybe Snus. Isak’s eyes traveled back up to the stranger’s face. He looked nice, and happy. Isak wondered what he was thinking about.

Isak began to realize that he had probably been staring for far too long when the boy, who had been looking forward, turned his head slowly to look right at him. They were only about ten feet away from each other. The boy had been laughing, but he suddenly stopped and stared back at Isak. The boy’s eyes were soft, and his mouth quirked back up in a half-smile.

Isak finally dragged his head down. The guy walked past them. Isak coughed quietly and dragged a hand over his face. His hearing seemed to return, and he was relieved to find that Mahdi and Jonas were still mid-debate about the texting. They hadn’t noticed him looking. Being caught looking.

 _But...holy fuck._ Isak thought. _Who the fuck was that guy?_

Isak fought every urge he had to look behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I'm brand new to fic writing so bear with me. This will be updated soon. :) It's gonna be a slow burn and hopefully very frustrating. xoxo incorporealspike


	2. Pathetic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isak eavesdrops and has a kitchen conversation.

19.8.17  
FREDAG

The party turned out to be incredibly uneventful. Isak spent most of the night with Magnus, sitting on the couch, inhaling the six pack that Jonas had given him. He was trying to forget the sad and kind of resentful stare that Sara had given him when he and the boys had shown up at the party. 

Isak had managed to get Sara to break up with him once he turned her down for the seventh time to hang out one-on-one. It was just that whenever they were alone, Isak felt this intense desire to...not be there with her. Isak played a game with himself when they made out. He would think of any other place he would rather be than there making out with Sara. _Toxic waste cleanup? No, it’s not that bad. Shoveling snow off a driveway? Yeah. Yeah that seems more exciting._ It wasn’t Sara’s fault. She was pretty and everything. She had soft hair. She just wasn’t the girl for him. And breaking up with her finally freed him from being her 24/7 gossip confidant, which was an added bonus.

As he lay motionless on the couch, Isak’s thoughts flashed back to the guy he had seen on the street. He couldn’t remember what the guy’s face looked like, and that was bothering him. Isak remembered he was tall, and his hair was the same brown-blonde as his was...and his eyes…

“Oh my God do you see her?!” Magnus punched Isak’s arm, jolting him out of his reverie. “That girl is so hot. The blonde one! Do you know her? Fuck.” Isak looked at where Magnus was pointing, and to Isak’s dismay, it was Vilde.

“Jesus Christ, Magnus. No.”

*****

20.8.17  
LØRDAG

Isak fell asleep after the party at around four in the morning, splayed out on the bed with all of his clothes on. Including his snapback. Erik and Sonja had either both been asleep or out by the time he got back, which was lucky. Isak had been wasted.

By the time Isak woke up, it was around noon. The chime of his text alert had gone off three times in a row. Isak flung out his arm, dragging his phone from the other side of the bed over near his face. 

MAGNUS: Wait so do you know that girl  
MAGNUS: Can you introduce me???  
MAGNUS: What was her name again 

Isak sighed in exasperation, throwing his phone down on his bedside table. He ripped his snapback off and went back to bed.

Isak slept nearly all of Saturday, except for the thirty minutes he spent going to the grocery store to pick up waffles and cereal so he didn’t starve to death. He ran into Erik when he came back to the apartment.

“Yo, man! I’m just leaving for work. Don’t forget to add me on Vipps so you can pay rent later!” Erik yelled from the back door. 

“Yeah!” Isak yelled back, but Erik was already gone.

By late afternoon Isak was back in bed, re-watching one of his favorite episodes of Rick and Morty on his laptop.

He heard a door open and close, it sounded like Sonja’s bedroom from how close the sound was. Isak heard Sonja talking and a deep voice responding, but it didn’t sound like Erik.

Isak got up from his bed, pausing the show. More due to curiosity than anything, he tried to make out what Sonja was saying. The voices were muffled by the walls, so Isak crept closer, pressing his ear against the door to try to make out the words.

The voices were still distorted, but Isak heard Sonja murmur, “...if you set an alarm every day for the same time maybe you’ll remember. It’s really important.”

“I know.”

“Your mom is worried.”

“I know.”

“I know you think that if you don’t -” Sonja was interrupted with the deep voice saying, “Bye, Sonja.”

There was the sound of heavy footsteps and Isak jumped away from the wall. 

“Text me when you get home!” Sonja yelled after the footsteps. Isak heard the front door open and slam shut.

 _Her boyfriend?_ Isak thought. Probably. He and Sonja hadn’t interacted since Tuesday when he had met her and Erik for the first time. 

_Ugh. I hope Sonja’s boyfriend isn’t around all the time,_ Isak thought. _Or if he is, there better not be drama._

*****

21.08.17  
SØNDAG

Sunday afternoon Isak hung out with the boys at Jonas’, playing Fifa and getting regaled with their recaps of the party and the aftermath. Magnus also grilled him about Vilde, which had ended in Isak saying a lot of nothing, and eventually changing the subject to Mahdi’s latest love interest just to get Magnus to shut up.

“So, uh, Mahdi. How’s it going with the Bakka girl?” Isak said, turning away from Magnus who was searching for Vilde on Instagram. 

“Camilla? She didn’t text me back. Old news, bro. I’m onto Ann now.” Mahdi said as Jonas laughed.

“Wait which Ann?” Magnus looked up from his phone to ask. “Ann with the red hair or Ann who rolls with Sara and that crew? Or Ann with the curly hair?”

Mahdi squinted, “Uh, Ann with the curly hair? I think. It was dark at that party, man. And we were hooking up in the closet so it was extra dark.” 

Isak laughed. “Why don’t you find her on Facebook so you can at least figure out which Ann it is?” 

“That will ruin the mystery,” Mahdi explained. “No, that’s a good idea. I need to make sure she’s still hot in the light of day.” He got his phone out of his pocket and went on Facebook.

“So how’s the new apartment?” Jonas asked Isak. “Are your roommates chill or what?”

Isak shrugged. “Yeah. Well, I mean, I’ve barely seen them at all since I moved in. Which is good I guess.”

“Do you think they’ll be down to host pregames and stuff?” Magnus asked while he looked up from his phone in interest.

“Mmm, I’m not sure yet. I’ll let you guys know when I’ve actually like, had conversations with them and stuff,” Isak said. “So are we going to play another game, guys? Or talk about girls all day?”

*

Four games of Fifa and two joints later, the boys dispersed. Magnus’ mom wanted him home for a family dinner on the last day of summer, Magnus and Jonas had headed to the skate park, and Isak went back to his apartment to watch TV.

Isak was about to unlock the front door when his phone buzzed in his pocket. 

DAD: Hi Isak. How’s it going? Hugs.

Isak exhaled sharply and put his keys in his pocket, leaning against the railing next to the door. 

ISAK: Good. Rent’s due in a week. 4000kr

Isak sighed and tucked his phone back in his pocket, reaching for his keys to unlock the door.

When he stepped inside he saw Sonja in the kitchen. 

“Hey Isak!” Sonja turned to smile warmly at him. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Yeah,” Isak said, closing the door. Sonja was putting a take out box in the fridge. Isak shuffled forward, unsure if he should stay and have a conversation or if he should go hide in his room. He had decided to go hide, and started walking to his door.

“Oh, hey, you go to Nissen, don’t you?” Sonja turned and leaned against the fridge to look at Isak.

Isak stopped walking, and groaned internally. “Yeah!” Isak said brightly while nodding, feigning interest in a conversation for diplomacy’s sake.

“My boyfriend goes there, he’s going to be a third year. You just missed him, actually.” Sonja looked at Isak, tilting her head to the side and squinting. Isak felt like she was judging him. Not necessarily in a negative way, but as if she was checking him out and trying to determine what kind of person he was. 

“Oh?” Isak shifted his weight from foot to foot. He was usually slightly uncomfortable interacting with strangers, but there was something about Sonja’s eyes that made him feel especially stressed. Like she knew what he was thinking, almost.

“Yeah. He doesn’t have that many friends at Nissen, so. Well, anyway. Good luck with your first day tomorrow.” Sonja smiled then, and Isak smiled back. Sonja was actually really nice when she didn't appear to be scrutinizing him for character flaws.

“Okay, well, thanks.” Isak turned to keep walking to his room, but stopped. It had kind of seemed like Sonja had wanted to ask Isak to introduce himself to her boyfriend, or make friends with him. Sonja was nice, and Isak felt bad for her. Without thinking, he said, “What’s his name?” and turned back to Sonja.

“My boyfriend?” Sonja asked, brightening. Before she could continue, the first few bars of “Just Dance” by Lady Gaga blared loudly from her phone. “Oh my god, that’s my boss’ ringtone. I have to get it. We’ll chat later,” Sonja rushed to answer her phone and walked past Isak and into her room.

Isak shrugged, and felt suddenly completely exhausted. He trudged to his room, fell into bed with his laptop, and spent the next six hours re-watching Narcos season 1. 

By three a.m. he was still awake, in bed and staring at the ceiling. _It’s the first day of school tomorrow,_ Isak thought. _Another year, another round of bullshit._

Closing his eyes, Isak tried to imagine the guy on the sidewalk again. He remembered even less about what the guy looked like than he did before. Sighing, Isak turned over and stared out his window. Against his will, Isak wondered what the guy on the street was doing right then. 

_Pathetic,_ Isak thought. _Fucking pathetic._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will update soon! (Don't worry, Even's coming.) xoxo incorporealspike  
> P.S. WHOOPS! I forgot to include the small party scene when I first posted this. I clearly need more sleep. Lol


	3. Biology Notebook

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isak misplaces his Biology notebook.

22.08.17  
MANDAG

Isak stared out of the second story window into the courtyard below. It was strange, almost nothing had changed over the summer. The same cliques were still standing together, the same drama, the same bullshit. The only notable difference was the absence of The Penetrators and the other third years, and the addition of the new first years. 

“Checking out the first years?” Isak turned and saw Jonas to his right, staring out the window as well. 

Isak grunted noncommittally. “Same shit, different year, man,” Isak said, looking back outside, his eyes unfocused. 

Jonas laughed in agreement. Isak looked over at his best friend, feeling none of the jealousy and longing he had felt in their first year. This was a huge relief. Instead of feeling whatever that was for his best friend, Isak only felt a vague longing. A vague longing he could ignore, or repress, or whatever. 

Isak sighed, bored of people watching and already bored of this day. The first day of school. _Two fucking years to go,_ Isak thought. _Fuck._

Isak pulled out his phone, ignoring the six messages he had gotten from his mother at four that morning that he still hadn’t looked at. 

Isak groaned when he saw that it was almost 13:00. “Ah, shit. It’s time for biology, man,” Isak picked up his backpack and slung it over his shoulder, nudging Jonas.

“Agh,” Jonas said, still looking out the window. “I have Norwegian.”

The courtyard began to disperse and the halls filled with voices. 

Jonas finally turned away from the window, slapping Isak on the back. “Let’s get a kebab after school to celebrate the end of what I’m sure will be the longest first day of school in history.”

Isak laughed, turning and heading down the stairs with Jonas. They reached the bottom of the stairs, Isak heading right towards biology, and Jonas heading left towards his locker. Isak was about halfway down the hallway when he realized he didn’t have his Biology notebook. He stopped walking, wracking his brain to think of where he had left it. 

_Fuck! That has all of my notes from last year in there,_ Isak thought. _I knew I should have typed them on the computer over the summer._

Isak was debating turning around to go back to his locker to look for it when he felt a hard tap on his shoulder. 

Isak spun around and was faced with someone holding his biology notebook. 

_Big hands,_ Isak noticed. 

Isak looked up from his notebook to see the person carrying it. Isak’s breath quickened and he suddenly felt incredibly light-headed. 

Very tall. Sandy blond hair. Jean jacket. Blue eyes.

It was the guy he had seen on the street. 

Unable to process this information with any sort of grace or composure, Isak focused on breathing. He dragged his eyes down to his notebook, not really seeing it.

The boy’s voice caused Isak to look back up at him. “I think you left this by the staircase window. It’s yours?” He raised his eyebrows and tilted his head quizzically at Isak. 

Isak was still extremely shaken to see the boy from the street here, at Nissen, right in front of him.

“Uh,” Isak managed.

“You’re welcome,” the boy said, laughing gently and shrugging.

The boy’s laugh was so effortlessly joyful that Isak couldn’t help laughing too. “Thanks,” Isak said, finally taking his notebook out of the boy’s hand. 

The boy nodded. “Even,” he said, looking Isak in the eyes with a small smile on his face. 

“Isak." 

“Nice to meet you, Isak,” the boy - Even - said. He paused. “Good luck in Biology,” he added, smiling. There was a warmth to his face that made Isak’s stomach hurt. Even looked so nice, so happy. 

And the next moment, he was gone. Isak turned and saw Even striding down the hallway, a head taller than everyone else, and moving much more quickly.

Isak looked down at his Biology notebook, his heart beating much faster than normal. 

_Even,_ he mouthed to himself. _Even._

Isak turned to make sure no one was looking at him, that no one had seen the interaction. As innocent as it was, Isak still felt like they could tell.

He shook his head, and walked shakily down the hallway towards his biology class.

 _I wonder if he recognized me from when I saw him on the street before,_ Isak thought. _No way. Probably. Maybe?_

 _I can’t believe he goes to Nissen. Fuck._

Isak turned into his classroom and sat down at an empty desk in the back. He set his backpack down, and put his Biology notebook on the table, staring at it. 

_Even._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, I had to nurse my best friend through a terrible breakup over the weekend. Lol.
> 
> Thanks to everyone reading this, and enjoy! :) I will update very soon.


	4. Not Good, Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isak can't sleep. Later, he spots a familiar face.

23.08.17  
TIRSDAG

Isak checked his phone. 03:47. He huffed into the darkness of his bedroom. 

_You think too much. Why do you think so much? This is why you can’t sleep at night unless you’re shitfaced._

Isak was never the best at giving himself pep talks, as most of his decisions were made spur of the moment and most of the thoughts he had about himself were negative. 

He had already gone through the list of things that could be bothering him earlier in the night, but that hadn’t helped Isak get any closer to rest. Admitting defeat, Isak grabbed his laptop from the floor next to his bed, not bothering to turn a light on. The only light in the room came from the glow of the laptop screen and the faint streetlights shining through the light blue window curtains.

Isak opened his laptop, navigating to Facebook and scrolling aimlessly. His eyes glazed over as picture after picture of Sara and her group came up on his news feed with the hashtags #partyjenter and #pepsimax. He paused, looking at a picture of Sara, Ingrid, Laila, and the others. Isak supposed they were pretty. But he felt nothing.

Scrolling back up to the search bar, Isak hesitated. Feeling a peculiar sense of adrenaline, he typed “Even”. He paused, realizing that he had no idea what Even’s last name was. He clicked through the search results anyway, his irritation and disappointment mounting as each of the pictures failed to match the face of the Even who had returned his Biology notebook.

Isak didn’t let himself think too hard about why he was doing this. 

_I’m just curious,_ he thought. 

And he _was_ curious. He had never seen Even before that time at school, except for when they had passed each other on the street. 

_There’s no way he’s a first year...or maybe he got held back? That’s still a stretch. More likely he’s a transfer...not that any of this matters,_ Isak thought with a hint of bitterness.

He closed his laptop and sank back into the bed, staring at the ceiling. 

Isak closed his eyes, willing sleep to overtake him. Unbidden, the image of Even’s hands holding his notebook flooded his mind. It was quickly replaced by Even’s clear blue eyes, as real as if Even were right in front of him.

Isak grabbed his grey pillow and covered his face with it, willing Even to leave his head.

 

************

24.08.17  
ONSDAG

“You’re all coming to Sara and Ingrid’s party on Friday, right?” Jonas asked Isak, Mahdi, and Magnus as they made their way to the cafeteria. 

“Fuck yeah, man, we got to drink away the memories of second year week one,” Mahdi said.

Magnus nodded emphatically, adding, “Yes. Yes. And also, Isak, you have to introduce me to that blonde girl. Valda. Vilde? V-”

“Vilde?!” Jonas interrupted, laughing in disbelief.

“Yeah, oh my god, how have you not heard about Magnus’ new obsession, Jonas? Why am I the Vilde touchstone?” Isak groused, taking his snapback off to fix his hair.

“Don’t worry Magnus, Isak’s just mad because his ex-girlfriend is having the party and he’s still pissed at her for breaking up with him. Right Isak?” Jonas nudged Isak with his shoulder, and raised his eyebrows.

Isak rolled his eyes in response. 

“Wait, what?” Mahdi interjected. “Who did you date, Isak?”

“Sara! In second year! How did you not know this, man?” Jonas replied, shaking his head.

“I don’t fucking know! I don’t keep up with all the gossip. I only follow like three people on Instagram,” Mahdi said. 

They reached the cafeteria, Isak holding the door open and ushering the other boys in. 

“I can’t believe we have to wait until Friday for a party,” Magnus sighed. “I’m already so bored. Why doesn’t anything interesting ever happen?!”

The boys kept talking as they stood in line to get food, but Isak wasn’t listening. 

Even was across the room, sitting at a table alone. His feet were propped up on an empty chair, and he seemed to have a journal or notebook open that he was writing in. Isak suddenly felt short of breath. 

All of Tuesday he had looked for Even around every corner, between each class, at lunch, but hadn’t seen him. Now, here he was. 

Even was smiling to himself as he wrote, and ran his free hand through his hair. One piece fell free and landed across his forehead, and for a brief moment Isak allowed himself to think that it was maybe the cutest thing he had ever seen.

Even paused his scribbling, twirling the pen expertly in his fingers. He glanced up at the ceiling, sighing. 

Before Isak knew what was happening, Even was looking at him. 

Isak was simultaneously too exhausted and too exhilarated to look away. Isak knew it was dramatic, but when they made eye contact it really felt like the world stopped spinning on its axis. 

Even narrowed his eyes almost playfully and tilted his head to the side. Isak realized he probably looked like an idiot just standing there, staring. But he couldn’t look away. Even smiled then, and Isak felt a half smile creep up on his own face involuntarily. 

“Bro!” Isak jolted back to reality as Mahdi nudged him forward in line. “Dude, I asked you what dating Sara was like. You were spacing out hard.”

Isak grunted in response, shaking his head. He was glad that no one had noticed, but he didn’t want to discuss Sara.

“Not good, man. None of it was good,” Isak said. He turned to check if Even was still looking out of the corner of his eye, but the table was empty.

Even was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is the party...*eyeball emoji*
> 
> Thanks so much for reading! I'm having so much fun. 
> 
> xoxo Spike


	5. Move On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isak avoids roommate drama and attends a party.

***  
TORSDAG  
25.08.16

Isak unlocked the door to his apartment, walked inside and tossed his backpack on one of the shitty IKEA chairs that sat around what Eric called “the dining room table.” It was white and circular and held together on the bottom with duct tape, but Isak wasn’t one to judge.

Isak made his way to the refrigerator, opening it and looking around even though he knew the only thing inside that was his was a half gallon of milk. Isak huffed, realizing he probably should have gone to McDonald’s after school. 

While it had been silent when he walked in the apartment, he heard Sonja’s voice in her room. Isak could only hear her voice, so he figured she was probably talking on the phone. Isak had seen Sonja a couple times in the kitchen, but she was usually with one of her friends or about to leave, so they hadn’t talked properly since the day before Isak’s first day of school. 

Sonja’s voice got louder, and through the wall she sounded upset. Isak closed the fridge, admitting defeat and pouring himself a bowl of cereal. He could go to McDonald’s later.

Isak heard the front door opening behind him, revealing a very flustered Erik.

“Holy fuck, I’m going to be late. I forgot my fucking apron and they don’t have an extra. My boss is so fucking nuts!” Erik blew past and into his room, re-emerging in moments with a heavily stained black apron.

Erik paused with his hand on the front doorknob, squinting. “Is that Sonja on the phone?” he mouthed to Isak.

Isak shrugged, eating his cereal so he wouldn’t have to respond properly.

“I think her and her boyfriend are fighting. He’s usually over all the fucking time. I was gonna suggest he help pay rent, you know?” Erik whispered. “He’s a bit all over the place. Her boyfriend I mean. Poor girl. Anyway, see ya.” Erik rushed out the door, apron flapping behind him. 

Isak rolled his eyes. He did _not_ want to get involved in any roommate drama when he had only lived there a week. 

_This is why you should always eat in your room,_ Isak told himself.

He had to admit that his curiosity was piqued, though. Sonja had never finished telling him about her boyfriend, who was apparently at Nissen as well. 

Isak took his cereal, grabbed his backpack, and made it to his bedroom. He settled with his laptop and his cereal to continue his binge-watch of Bloodline, but the show wasn’t keeping his interest as well as it usually did. 

His mind kept drifting back to Even. And every time he thought about the cafeteria or the hallway, and how Even had smiled at him, Isak felt a baffling mixture of guilt, embarrassment, and excitement that settled in his stomach and refused to leave. 

Isak hadn’t seen Even at school that day. For some reason, it seemed to Isak that whenever he stopped thinking about Even is when he showed up. 

Isak had thought about asking around to see if he could find out Even’s last name, or literally anything about him. But each time he was about to broach the subject with the boys, he felt a crippling sense of fear. What if they asked him why he was asking? He didn’t have a good enough answer yet. And even if he did find a good reason, they might see through it. Isak didn’t want to risk it. 

_And,_ he thought, _You shouldn’t be focusing so much on this, anyway. Move on._

The noise from the show on his laptop, the faint sound of Sonja’s voice, and the murmur of the traffic outside began to overwhelm Isak.

Shutting his laptop hard, Isak got out of bed and walked to his window to close it. His room was the closest to the front of the apartment, so his window saw out onto the major thoroughfare that the apartment was right off of. Isak’s room had a tiny balcony, which wasn’t a balcony as much as it was bars that prevented someone from falling out of the window. Isak thought it was still pretty cool, as he could lean his whole body out of the window and people-watch if he felt like it. There was also a fire escape leading up to the balcony, but as Isak was uninterested in parkour or high places in general, he hadn’t ever explored it. 

Isak moved the curtains, closing the window. It was suddenly quiet, as Sonja seemed to have finished talking for the moment. 

He walked back to his bed, flopped down on his back and fished his phone out of his front pocket.

Isak was relieved to see no new messages, and went to Instagram. Without thinking, he typed “Even” into the search bar. As Isak scrolled through the dozens of profiles, he got more and more angry at himself. 

_Why do you care?_

After looking through a couple profiles and getting nowhere, Isak tossed his phone to the end of his bed, rolling over and screaming softly into his pillow. 

*******

FREDAG  
26.08.16

Isak was doing his best to have fun, which naturally meant he was three beers in and sitting down.

The boys had arrived at the party fashionably late after a pre-game at Magnus’. Mahdi had complained the whole way to the party that he was the one always buying the beer, but Isak had ignored him. 

Now all the boys were dispersed in Sara’s living room, talking to various girls. Magnus was looking slightly dejected by the speakers, and Isak spotted him staring at Vilde across the room who was laughing at some third year’s joke. Isak caught Magnus’ eye from the couch, miming the man-bun that the third year had, and shaking his head. Magnus laughed, then set his face determinedly, striding over to interrupt Vilde’s conversation. Isak shifted away to avoid looking at the inevitable trainwreck, and also to watch who was coming and going from the front door.

A tiny part of Isak had hoped to see Even at the party. Isak hadn’t seen him since Wednesday, and wasn’t entirely sure that Even wasn’t just a figment of his imagination. 

_You’re so desperate for attention you literally imagined someone who smiled at you. Seems about right,_ Isak thought.

He slumped into the couch, trying to come up with a game-plan for how he would appear to have fun at this party. It was important to not seem like a total buzzkill.

*

Three more beers later, Isak found himself talking to some people he barely knew in Sara’s game room on the second floor. The girl standing to his left, Janne, kept laughing at his nearly incomprehensible drunk musings about the other people in the room. The party was packed, and there was no shortage of people to make fun of.

“You see that guy?” Isak asked Janne, pointing to Chris Schistad, who was making out with Eva against one of the card tables.

“Yeah? Chris?” Janne said, craning her head and squinting in the dim lighting.

“Yeah. I know for a FACT that he thinks that chocolate milk comes from brown cows. Like, normal milk comes from white cows and chocolate milk comes from brown cows. I’m dead serious!” Isak _had_ heard Chris say this one of the times Jonas and him had spent time with the Penetrators in their first year. It had really stuck with Isak though as a pinnacle of stupidity.

Janne was doubled over laughing, clutching Isak’s arm, and Isak laughed too. He liked making people laugh. It made him feel less lonely. 

Janne kept touching Isak’s arm and squinting flirtatiously at him, though, and he was starting to get the feeling that she was going to pounce on him. Isak was drunk, and tired, and he just didn’t feel like making out with some random girl right then.

Janne was briefly occupied stabilizing her stumbling drunk friend, so Isak wordlessly took the opportunity to make his escape.

Sara’s house was huge, and it was easy to get lost. Isak didn’t see Magnus or Mahdi anywhere, and he had seen Jonas leave with some first year hours before. 

Aimlessly wandering the hallways, Isak found some open doors leading to a large balcony. It was a clear night, and the stars were bright even from where he was standing. Isak ventured onto the deck, bracing his hands on the railing and peering out into Sara’s backyard below.

It was cold, but it was a welcome change to the overheated and stuffy inside of the house, with the added bonus that the balcony didn't have any people on it. Isak took off his snapback, running his hand through his hair and putting it back on. Staring at the stars, Isak drunkenly figured that it might be nice just to stay out here all night, unbothered and alone.

“Hey,” a deep voice said to Isak’s right.

Isak jumped, jolting out of his reverie with surprise. Turning quickly to look at the source of the greeting, Isak nearly passed out.

Standing just outside the doors, clad in the same jean jacket he always seemed to wear, was Even. He was leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets, with a joint behind his ear. He wasn’t smiling, but he didn’t look particularly irritated or upset. His eyes were boring into Isak’s, and Isak had to look away, before he accidentally toppled over the edge of the balcony.

_Holy fuck, he’s hot,_ Isak couldn’t help but think. 

Gathering what little wits he had left, Isak steadied his breathing and managed a weak laugh. 

“Jesus Christ. I didn’t know you were there.”

_I didn’t know you were there?! That’s the best you can come up with?_ Isak thought, looking towards the stars and giving his head a small shake. 

Isak heard steps, and suddenly Even was standing a couple feet to his right. Even was mirroring what Isak had been doing before, leaning over the balcony and looking up to check out the stars.

_He’s so fucking tall,_ Isak thought, his drunken state allowing himself to observe without a filter of shame.

It was only once Even looked over at him that Isak realized he had been staring. He quickly shifted his eyes down, but dragged them almost immediately back to Even’s face.

“So,” Even said. “How’s biology?” he smiled, pulling the joint from behind his ear.

Isak huffed out a nervous laugh, scuffing his shoe along the ground. 

“Biology?” Isak racked his brain for literally anything to say, coming up short. 

Even lit the joint and offered it to Isak, raising his eyebrows.

Isak took it, thankful for anything to do. After taking a hit of the joint, something came to him.

“My fucking teacher doesn’t wear a bra!” Isak announced loudly.

“What?” Even was laughing as Isak handed the joint back to him.

“She literally...she wears these like, kind of see through shirts, and you can see everything! It’s...like, it’s so distracting!” Isak said, before realizing that he may have gotten slightly off message. 

“Not distracting in like, a hot way. Distracting in like, an uncomfortable way? You know?” Isak realized he was rambling, but he figured it was better than dead silence. He looked over at Even, who was blowing smoke out of the corner of his mouth and just looking at him. And smiling, eyes squinting with laughter.

“Wow,” Even said. “What an exciting first week you’ve had!” 

They passed the joint back and forth in silence, as Isak oscillated between deciding what to say next and trying to ignore the electric feeling the air had. 

_Fuck,_ he mouthed to himself. 

“What class are you in?” Isak asked. It was a safe question, and Isak was genuinely interested in why he hadn’t seen Even around before.

“3STB,” Even said. He took a long drag of the joint. “You?” he asked, passing what was left of the joint to Isak, their fingers brushing. 

Isak felt a jolt from where their fingers touched, like he had been shocked. He almost dropped the joint, but mercifully kept ahold of it.

“I’m a 99er,” Isak said. “But um…” Isak continued, “You’re a third year? Did you go to Nissen last year?” Isak knew that Even hadn’t, but wanted to appear less creepy than he felt.

“Nah, I was at Bakka,” Even said. Isak ground the finished joint onto the balcony ledge, glancing over at Even. 

Even was braced against the ledge, doing a shallow lunge of sorts.

Isak couldn’t help but laugh. “What the fuck are you doing? Are you really stretching right now?”

Even laughed too, turning his face towards Isak. Isak thought that maybe it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. 

“Hey, it’s been a long first week. And I went to almost all of my classes,” Even straightened up, turning toward Isak and stepping forward. 

_We’re in arm's reach of each other,_ Isak thought vaguely, trying not to sway on his feet.

A question that had been niggling at the back of his head burst out, “Wait, you transferred in your third year? Why?”

Even shrugged, his eyes falling to the floor. Even folded his arms over his chest.

“Well -” Even began, when a loud crash came from just within the house.

Magnus stumbled out of the balcony doors, being propped up by a very sober-looking Mahdi.

“Isak!” Magnus cried, careening towards Isak. 

“Holy fuck, Magnus! Don’t fall off the fucking balcony!” Mahdi yelled, intercepting him before Magnus could completely tackle Isak in a hug.

“I’m fine. I’m so fine. No one has ever been this fine in their lives,” Magnus slurred, holding onto both Mahdi and Isak’s shoulders for support.

Isak looked over at Even, who looked more concerned than anything. 

“Is he gonna be okay?” Even asked, peering to see Magnus’ lolling head.

Isak threw his hands up in the air as high as he could with Magnus dragging down half of him.

“Let’s go, Mags. Isak, can we take him to your place?” Mahdi asked, beginning to drag Magnus towards the doors to the inside.

“Uh, I guess? My roommates -” Isak began.

“Great!” Mahdi interrupted. “Come on, then!”

Isak turned, baffled and overwhelmed, to Even. He didn’t know how to say goodbye. They weren’t friends, they were just acquaintances who sometimes smiled at each other. It didn’t help Isak much that he was drunk and high as fuck.

“Do you guys need help with Magnus?” Even asked, looking genuinely concerned.

Isak’s heart jumped in his chest. But he couldn’t think of a way to explain who Even was to the guys when they would ask him. It would only make it more weird if Even helped them drag Magnus to his apartment.

“Uh….nah. Thanks though. And thanks for the…” Isak trailed off, waving towards the joint.

“Any time,” Even said, giving Isak a small smile.

Isak felt incredibly unsatisfied with the closure of their interaction, but didn’t know what to do about it. So Isak just kept standing on the balcony, shifting his weight from foot to foot. 

“ISAK!” Mahdi yelled from far inside the house.

“COMING!” Isak screamed back. 

Isak was about to turn and leave when Even spoke.

“Hey. Give me your phone,” Even said, holding out his hand. He sounded casual, but determined. Isak felt his stomach flip.

Isak was too inebriated to question or resist. He took out his phone and gave it to Even.

As Even began tapping on it, Isak panicked that there might be some nefarious content up on his web browser. He was never the best at deleting his history. But before he could freak out too much, Even had handed his phone back.

“My number’s in there,” Even explained. “If you guys end up needing my help getting him home. Or anything.” Even said, shrugging.

Isak managed a small nod before Even brushed past him and into the house.

Isak looked down at the phone in his hand, dumbstruck.

“Isak, for FUCK’S SAKE!” Mahdi yelled. “Oh god, he’s fucking puking!” 

Isak snapped back to reality, jogging inside to see a very sick Magnus and a very amused Mahdi. 

“At least he aimed for the potted plant,” Mahdi laughed.

Isak laughed, but wasn’t really listening. He opened his phone, going to his contacts.

His hands were shaking as he scrolled through his contacts, looking for “Even”.

Isak found it. 

Even Bech Næsheim.

Isak mouthed the words.

Even Bech Næsheim.

“Okay, he looks like he’s reached a stopping place,” Mahdi’s voice sounded in Isak’s periphery. “Let’s grab him while we have a chance.”

Isak tucked his phone back in his pocket.

As Isak and Mahdi dragged Magnus out of the house, Isak couldn’t help but grin. He wasn’t sure what was happening, or what Even was trying to do, but he didn’t care. 

He felt happy.

*****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Herregud, this came out much longer than I thought it would. Whoops! Enjoy!   
> xoxo Spike


End file.
